Cambridge IGCSE Physics · 3.2.3 Thin lenses
Thin lenses, from the first ray to the exam.
Drag the object, change the focal length and watch every ray and the image respond. Then draw the rays yourself, exam-style: the page marks your diagram and shows which ideas are secure and which are not yet.
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- lessons
- 9
- exam-style questions
- 48
- syllabus statements
- 8
Syllabus statements covered
Core is for every candidate; Supplement is for the Extended paper.
- 1Describe the action of thin converging and thin diverging lenses on a parallel beam of lightCore
- 2Define and use the terms focal length, principal axis and principal focus (focal point)Core
- 3Draw and use ray diagrams for the formation of a real image by a converging lensCore
- 4Describe the characteristics of an image using the terms enlarged/same size/diminished, upright/inverted and real/virtualCore
- 5Know that a virtual image is formed when diverging rays are extrapolated backwards and does not form a visible projection on a screenCore
- 6Draw and use ray diagrams for the formation of a virtual image by a converging lensSupplement
- 7Describe the use of a single lens as a magnifying glassSupplement
- 8Describe the use of converging and diverging lenses to correct long-sightedness and short-sightednessSupplement
- Level
- Written for Grade 10 (Year 10) students preparing for the Cambridge IGCSE Physics (0625) exams. It stays inside the syllabus: no lens formula, no dioptres.
- How it marks
- Diagrams are computed from the physics of an ideal thin lens and your drawing is compared with them. Written answers are self-marked against a mark scheme.
- On a phone
- Everything works with a finger. For drawing questions, a tablet or laptop is easier.
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